On Monday 13-time British Champion Guy Cribb made the most of a bit of winter wind and swell to score a good session at Kimmeridge. Sounds like it was a cold one, but judging by the photos he had a great session! We hand over to Guy for his report:

“It was just 5 degrees in the UK. After watching for an hour thinking it was too cold, I eventually hit the water. I sailed for two hours, using my 5.1 Fly2 and JP 83 Single Thruster at Kimmeridge Bay until the sun touched the horizon. Like every day windsurfing, I loved it! Cant wait for the next 5 degree session- very invigorating!”

Guy enjoying himself at Kimmeridge. Photos by Paul Beames

Cribby vs X40s

Guy Cribb will be racing against the X40s this weekend during the Extreme Sailing Series at Cowes, August 6-9. INtuition guests will be there with VIP passes to see the action close up- from on board the X40s! Quastion is, who’s going to win?

Some of Guy’s most regular guests are attending Cowes Week this year (the world’s largest sailing regatta) with VIP passes courtesy of INtuition to get in the thick of the Extreme 40 racing and duals between Guy and these super cats. Last years inaugural event was a major success with stormy winds allowing the windsurfers to just beat the X40s. If you’d like to join them, please email guy@guycribb.com. More info and video at Guy’s smart new site at www.guycribb.com

Guy Cribb – the man behind the legend (which is Antoine Albeau, apparently!)

If you live near London and want to see what Guy Cribb looks like without a suntan, he is hosting an evening function at Queen Mary Sailing Club. Dinner from 7pm, talk from 8pm ish.

Publicly speaking for the first time about the legendary Channel Crossing when Guy and world champion Antoine Albeau raised over £11,000 for charity blasting across the Channel from Cherbourg to Poole in a 30 knot storm. Lots of unpublished photos to share, the full story of just how tough the crossing was and no doubt some useful technique tips thrown in.

Tickets available on the door- £20 including dinner, donation to Ellen MacArthur Trust and Cribby’s presentation. (Discounts for QMSC members and anyone just there for the chat.)

Cribby across the Channel

Guy Cribb on the NeilPryde Fly

I rode with the JP Neil Pryde team for a decade previously and I’m stoked to be back with the world’s leading brands. We’d always discussed teaming up again after my three year contract had expired with Boards and More and I didn’t even consider anyone else’s offers- moving back to JP Neil Pryde means I will be riding the world’s best race sails and slalom boards, and have the Fly2 sails for wave sailing, which even if they let me sail 1% more like Kauli or Jason, who’re both using them, then I will be a happy man! I used the Fly2 in Brazil for the last few weeks and just loved it. It’s extremely light and compact, yet has a constant power that doesn’t loose control when overpowered- just increases it’s delivery. Hat’s off to my old R&D partner Robert Stroj, the Neil Pryde designer, he still makes the world’s fastest sails and some really sweet wave sails.

However I must say it’s been a pleasure working with Craig at Fanatic again- we used to work together in the early ’90s on R&D, with all the North Sails boys in Germany and of course with Nik Baker who’d turned his life on its head to become the importer of Fanatic and North in the UK, and I wish them all the successes they deserve for their recent hard work with the brands which have come on tremendously and look great, but my roots and heart were always with my first love and long time partners JP and Neil Pryde. A love and respect that I cant break, so I am very pleased to be back with JP and Neil Pryde, the uber high-tech surf brand leaders with the ultimate carbon toys for boys!

I’ve yet to use the 2011 Neil Pryde Evo race sails, but they are like gold dust and the absolute pinnacle of sailing design- once again outright world champs for speed and racing- a position they’ve basically held for two decades, so really look forward to using them on the fastest slalom boards around, Antoine’s JPs- roll on spring time as riding this gear is windsurfing’s equivalent of driving an F1 car- virtually custom built- I am one of very few people privileged enough to take delivery of them for 2011 and they will be yours to test drive during my INtuition courses.

In Brazil I used the JP single thruster 83- the production board Robby Swift, Ricardo and co used in the recent wave world cup in Denmark. It wasn’t top of my list of boards to take- I really wanted Kauli’s quad, but the thruster was delivered. I thought, no one else is making tri-fin boards, but if Swifty and co are all raving about it and using it in world cup comps, I’ve got to try. My first impressions were that it worked fine. But then I used it over two weeks in a large variety of conditions and every time my guests used it they said they absolutely loved it- intermediates or experts alike, so I kept checking it looking for something really outstanding. I realised after two weeks, regardless of the conditions, I was ripping on it- it handled drawn out full tilt bottom turns in bigger heavy surf, and smaller tighter snaps in mushy waves, underpowered or over powered, fast or slow, and in the air was compact and light, nailing jumps even in bad jumping conditions. It’s outstanding characteristic was that it does everything I asked of it- early planing, stable, good inflight control and most of all, makes any surf look like good surf with it’s constant speed wave riding. It is now the number one wave board on my order list as a ‘one board for all European conditions’, with the Kauli Quad as my back up for faster surf overseas.

It’s great to be back in the JP and Neil Pryde team, unwrapping the very boards and sails that our world champions ride, I love it! Huge thanks to everyone at JP Australia, Neil Pryde International and Pryde Group UK for their kind support to myself and the INtuition gang.”

Guy Cribb, December 2010

More at www.guycribb.com and uk.pryde-group.com

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See the original first…

and now the INtuition take:

More at guycribb.com

Guy Cribb

Guy Cribb, alias Mr Intuition, joined the Raceboard Fleet on the 5th Round of the UKWA tour at Christchurch last weekend and won. OK, breezy it was, but it only goes to show that a sailor with a former international longboard history can show the youngsters and veterans how it is done. With all due respect to Fanatic and North (who as yet do not manufacture ‘Raceboard’ Class equipment) Guy chose the Tushingham XR Race 9.5 and the Starboard Phantom 380. The last day of racing dawned with 15 knots of wind and it was in these full planing conditions that Guy showed devastating downwind speed. ‘Longer Harness Lines’ he would advise a few of us on the beach between races. Approaching 100 racers competed in the various classes at Christchurch and Raceboard continues to attract more sailors wishing to race in all winds and experience tactical racing at its best. Races take place in anything above 6knots, and by 10knots a racer will be flying upwind on the plane. Congratulations to Guy. If you would like to join the racing drop an email to Tushingham at windsurfing@tushingham.com and they will allocate one of the three complete sets of Phantom/XR race kits for you to compete. Next event is at Weymouth / Portland. For series events please check out the UKWA website.

1st Guy Cribb, 2nd Mark Kay, 3rd Dave Hackford.